Chance of snow in Friday forecast

Warmer weather expected next week

Although fall began less than two weeks ago, the National Weather Service is already talking about a winter storm hitting northern Colorado over the next couple days.

While the storm warnings and watches are further west, the NWS forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain and snow in Sterling Friday.

According to the NWS hazardous weather outlook, the storm system will hit northwest Colorado by late tonight. Heavy snow will be possible in the northern mountains tonight, while rain will increase from Denver north to the Wyoming border. In the foothills, that rain will change to snow after midnight.

The storm is expected to move east through the day and into the evening Friday, giving northeast Colorado a "good chance" of a mix of rain and snow Friday. "Strong and gusty north-northwest winds will develop on Friday and continue into Saturday over the plains," the outlook states. Little to no snow accumulation is expected in northeast Colorado, although the mountains north of I-70 could see 6 to 12 inches, and up to 18 inches in a few places. The foothills are expected to see 5 to 10 inches.

In addition to precipitation, the storm will also bring down temperatures. After a predicted high of 66 today, Friday's temps are expected to reach only the upper 40s, and the low will fall below freezing to 27, the NWS says. Saturday is expected to be slightly warmer at 53.

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The system is expected to clear the area by Sunday, according to NWS, and temperatures will warm back up to "seasonal normals" through the middle of next week.

That's good news for the crews at McAtee Construction — and for Sterling residents living on streets that have been closed for the street improvement project for the past month. Darren Gebhart of McAtee said work on those streets was delayed first by heavy rains, then by the South Platte River flood.

The river "rechannelized" through McAtee's property, Gebhart said, and the company has been working on repairing electrical lines and restoring gas service. Some of its structures, such as the scale house that had 3 feet of water in it, have settled and need to be assessed for damages. "It took a while to evaluate and make sure it was safe to go back to work," he said.

Gebhart was hopeful that the repairs would be complete and crews could return to the job by early next week. He said that due to the delays, there would be some additional work needed on the projects that have already begun — they will have to regrade and address soft spots — but he is hoping that it won't be substantial.

In the meantime, Dawes Street from Logan Street north, Cedar Street and Lincoln Street from Division to Third Avenue, remain closed.

Gebhart said all of the street improvements in the city's 2013 plan will be complete, although some of McAtee's other projects may be delayed due to the flood.

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